Remembering Registration button setups..?

[Dnj]

Calling all Genos players..... my question for the day is this. Personally I use 1 registration per song,......But I know many players use 8, 9, 10, reg per song which is fine also,.....what I want to know is how do you remember what each reg button has set up within it in an arrangement. I don't recall on my Genos units or any Yamaha unit SX etc, etc, it showing it on the display? With hundreds of songs in your repertoire how do you Remember all these reg buttons setups for each song while you play ?

Thanx

[Al Ram]

Dnj
I use one registration per each song . . . . each of my registrations can have from 1 to 10 buttons.  Average is probably around 7 buttons per registration/song.   

I use an iPad that displays a PDF for each song . . . . I have previously marked the PDF with the changes in buttons so i know exactly where to change the registration button.  While i play I can change the reg button either manually or using a pedal.

Hope this helps.

thanks

[Lee Batchelor]

Dnj, you can also press Direct Access > and Registration Button 1. A window is displayed that gives you the basic information but those details must be defined ahead of time.

As a side note, there have been several requests made through the Yamaha Portable Keyboards forum to have this utility expanded to give more information than is currently available.

[mikf]

This is the downside with using registrations extensively, multiple per song. You need to spend a lot of time setting it up, and then use marked up music to remember what to press when. That's why it's not for everybody, especially the more experienced players who can play whole gigs without any music or cheat sheets, deciding what to play or changing things "on the fly".
There is a middle ground, use multiple registrations for only a few of the more complex arrangements, where you can just memorize what to change, and when. But for run of the mill songs, set up a single registration for a song which sets style, tempo, main voice. Then just use style variation changes, maybe linked to OTS voices to change a bit when you feel like it. Keeps you in control. Another modification on this is to have a bank of registrations with a few favorite voices for easy selection.
One of my observations listening to recordings on the forum, is that players rely far too much on changing voices, style sections etc etc to make the performance interesting. But they play each repeat identically and verbatim. They are overusing all the technology just because it's available. Good players don't do this, they personalize each section with interpretation, improv, phrasing, so it stays interesting. Learn to do this and you may not need 10 registrations per song!
Mike

[acparker]

It's also possible to rename each registration button in a registration bank.  It shows up (albeit very small text) in the upper corner of the Registration display.

Most of the time, I'm changing registrations at the start of the chorus and the start of the verses, so it's pretty easy to remember.  For many songs, I basically rock back and forth between the two registrations, or go back to the refrain one each time.  Thus:  9(intro),1 (verse 1), 8 (refrain), 2 (verse 2), 8 (refrain), 10 (ending).  I use a foot pedal to move to the next registration button.

Before the T3 and now the Gynos, I used to play more 'on the fly', changing things up as I went along.  But I have found the Genos and the T3 before it to be far too complex.  There are too many settings and things to change for me to easily do it mid-stream, as it were.

Adam

[Duffy]

I use the same method as Lee.
One registration for one song with anything up to the full ten memories used..
Registration is always open in front of me and if you need instructions when to change, you can put that text in the reg memories names.
I find it works perfectly whether I am reading dots or playing from memory.
A bit of work to set up at the beginning but easy peasy for the rest of your life.
I even switch, in mid song, to a different style sometimes using this method (with styles edited to make this not too noticeable).
I started doing this on my Technics KN7000 and then did the same on my Yamaha's and I couldn't possibly work any other way now.

[johan]

I write a "P" on my sheet music whenever I have to go the next registration (I use a pedal to do this). Note that with "registration sequence", you can reuse the same registration multiple times in the same song (e.g. for the chorus). But like mikf, I also often use one registration for the whole song.

[Lee Batchelor]

For the more advanced players, this is yet another reason we need an external Registration Editor. The only one currently available is Murray Best's program, which works well. Perhaps he's why Yamaha never released their own LOL . Murray saved them the development costs.

But back to the question. Mikf is correct in saying that relying on technology too much can sabotage your playing skills and that we should concentrate on playing better rather than using buttons to compensate for an otherwise dull song and playing style. But then there are players like me who use several memories within one bank AND playing skills to enhance the song. I need to know what each of the 10 buttons is for. There is information there but very limited. In a perfect world, there would be a window where you can setup the information you want displayed about each memory. According to members here, that sort of advanced feature would likely only serve a very small number of "stage players" therefore, it's not required .

[Oymmot]

Hi.
I can not help but write my views on what is in this post.
Why not forget everything with button presses here and there and use professionally made midi arrangements that automatically display notes, text, chord analyzes.
VH itself starts, automatically loads sounds for your own playing on the keyboard.
No printing more than loading a reg. tap and press memory button 1 and then just play and sing without caring where I should now press for a certain sound.
If you are interested in testing such an arrangement, write to me and I will send such a file for testing.
Writes this in all good faith and hopes that no one takes it badly.
I do not mind styles, but there is a huge difference in how it sounds if you use midi arrangements.
Write if you are interested in testing.
tommy.sune.olin@gmail.com
Tommy

[mikf]

Tommy
Of course many gig musicians use backing tracks and midis very successfully, especially vocalists. If I was gigging today I might as well. But the main reason most people buy an arranger - they want to play it.
Mike

[andyg]

FWIW, I'd recommend using as many registrations for a given song as your arrangement (or the original arrangement if you're emulating it) requires. Don't hold back, you're not just using the technology for the sake of it, you're using it to be musical (or at least I hope so!). I have dozens of pieces that use 8 registrations and many that use rather more on multiple banks.

I've just done a concert arrangement of a medley from West Side Story. Originally 12m30s long with 48 registrations in 4 banks (on an organ with 12 memories per bank). That medley has evolved since its last performance and it's now up to 13m08s with 60 changes. (On you Yuotube channel if you're interested) It will eventually hit around 14 to 15 minutes and I estimate around 70 to 80 changes. None of these are superfluous, they're simply what the music needs. If you think that's a lot, one of my colleagues on the concert tour once played an overture from an opera that required over 250 changes!

Regular registration changes are essential, so much so that they are compulsory in all levels of keyboard exams from Grade 1 upwards - and the indicated changes are just the mandatory ones, examiners will hope to hear rather more. My Diploma students regularly use 2 banks of 8, sometimes 3.

As for remembering them, how good is your memory? I'm lucky, I can remember all the changes and put them in at the right time. Some of my students will annotate the music with registration change points (as well as extra fill in points, multipad points etc) but most are taught to remember them, from the very start. The more you do this, the better you get, as always.

The real fun comes when you don't have registrations for a specific song but rather a set of more generic ones. The organ in my avatar has 80 pistons. 20 will set up all four manuals and pedals, and there are 15 more per manual. So far, I've had a three hour visit and done the 20 generals. Probably another 12 hours work to do the others, and then I'll have to commit them to memory if I get to play the organ in concert or for recordings. Keyboard players have it easy, honestly!     

[Lee Batchelor]

That's amazing, Andy! I thought I had a lot of changes at 5 or 6 . You're probably among a small handful of users who are at that level.

It still would be nice to have a configurable window of the parameters we need to see about the Reg Bank memory buttons. The one challenge you didn't mention besides memorizing the function of each button is, before changing memories, if there is a Voice change, we must remember to take our fingers off the right hand parts, in case we get a sudden blast of sound from a part that has a solo level velocity. This is one major annoyance Yamaha has yet to fix.

[Amwilburn]

For my orchestral ones, believe it or not, I basically use my YouTube video to help me remember what registration is for what song part :p But you *could* put registrations like "Big Choir part" or "Jack Sparrow" or even the melody line like "A C D D, D E F F, F G Part"

But for song with lyrcis, I actually put the line of lyric in the registration as it's needed: The opening choir registration for Bohemian Rhapsody, i've put "Is this the real" on the registration text.

Or at least I did, before my entire memory card data cascaded and I had to piece together what files I could from backups, and it turns out my final text additions to the registration weren't backed up :p Don't worry, i recovered almost all of the files. Just didn't realize some finishing touches were missing.

Next time I'll do that from the get go so that the backups will have the corresponding lyics as well :p

[Dnj]

Thank you all for the Outstanding replies to a very important & frequently used feature using our arranger keyboards. It is truly amazing to read how everyone does it differently to achieve the same goal of arranging & performing their music.

[Fred Smith]

I, like others, use the Registration Sequencer.

I create a bank for the song, with typically 6 registrations in use. The sequence determines in which order they're played. I create my own sheet music in Finale with a triangle mark showing when to advance the sequence.

Now I can concentrate on playing the song without worrying about what buttons to push.

Cheers,
Fred

[Lee Batchelor]

Fred, I do something very similar. I create my chord charts in Musescore. When a registration memory change is required, I insert a text box in red font, something like Reg 2 or Reg 3.

How do you indicate the change if you want to go from Reg 5 back to Reg 3, for example? Do you just make sure all your charts are set up so you just run sequentially from 1 through 10 in one direction only? Thanks.

[franksboard]

When i save registrations i put name of song and number 4 or 6 the number of registrations in song.i mostly use 4 registrations per song

[Lee Batchelor]

Thanks, franksboard. I seldom exceed 5 memory buttons. Overall, the Registration function is an amazing tool, which has improved over the years as Yamaha integrated it further into the operating system. I doubt we could function without it !

[Fred Smith]

Fred, I do something very similar. I create my chord charts in Musescore. When a registration memory change is required, I insert a text box in red font, something like Reg 2 or Reg 3.

How do you indicate the change if you want to go from Reg 5 back to Reg 3, for example? Do you just make sure all your charts are set up so you just run sequentially from 1 through 10 in one direction only? Thanks.

Lee,

The sequencer does it. So, in your example, the sequence would be 53.

A more common sequence, such as a song with an intro, 3 verses and a chorus, and ending, might look like: 12535456.

Every time I come to a triangle in my sheet music, I hit the pedal to move to the next registration in the sequence. Nothing to it.

Cheers,
Fred

[Lee Batchelor]

Thanks for the info, Fred .

[Dnj]

Reading the replies I can see the pros & cons of using 1 reg or many reg during a song.
personally, I am used to 1 reg & juggle my OTS sounds thruout the song at will.
Thank you for your versions we all learn from each other !

[franksboard]

I use midi files,MP3 and wave backings mostly as find it easier for me to play and follow the song and mostly use 4-6 registrations per song and easily call up the files and put name of song for each bank of registrations.the midi files i like as i can change all the sounds and drummer to make midi file sound much better and delete tracks i don't want.Mp3 and wave had to use pc program to make sound better as volume levels are usually low and the song usually is flat with no highs and lows.i use to many voices to use with 10 presents for all songs ,as i tailor the voices to each song.just wish an eq was available for mp3 and wave files on th Genos

[Oymmot]

Hi.
I think you're making it harder than it is.
Use all the memory buttons if you want, but always have the same registration on the buttons in each memory bank. Then mark each button with which instrument is loaded when you press that particular button.
It does not have to be more difficult to keep track of what the memory buttons contain.
Tommy

[stephenm52]

Reading the replies I can see the pros & cons of using 1 reg or many reg during a song.
personally, I am used to 1 reg & juggle my OTS sounds thruout the song at will.
Thank you for your versions we all learn from each other !

Most of the time this exactly how I handle it too.

[mikf]

Hi.
I think you're making it harder than it is.
Use all the memory buttons if you want, but always have the same registration on the buttons in each memory bank. Then mark each button with which instrument is loaded when you press that particular button.
It does not have to be more difficult to keep track of what the memory buttons contain.
Tommy

I'm afraid I don't get this one.  If you use  registrations to customize the arrangement there is a lot more than just the lead instrument changing with each registration. You might use it to change style sections, fill ins, even change style or key. You might be doing all of this without changing lead instrument.
In fact if all you are doing is changing lead voice at different sections of a song there is an even simpler way. Have a single registration bank of favorite voices, and just leave this one bank up all the time.
Mike